The key question everyone asks is “What is Sampalok?”  Sampalok, pronounced Sam-Pal-ook, is Tagalog for Tamarind.  There are many different types of Sampalok, and many different tastes.  Each tree can be a different taste then another.  We will not just talk about the fruit and taste of this beautiful tree; we will also talk about its other uses, as well as its medicinal values.
 
Description

The Sampalok’s scientific name is actually Tamarindus indica; it is one of the genus Tamarindus in the family Fabaceae.  If you are thinking it’s all Greek to me, then you are in the same boat I am, I prefer to call it Sampalok.  This tree is actually a tropical tree, it started somewhere in eastern Africa, and slowly worked its way into the hearts and stomachs of Asia.  Once established in Asia it began its journey all over the world, as well as into Latin America and the Caribbean.  Even though this is a Tropical tree, do not let this scare you, if you have read our other guides, you can Grow Tropical Trees in Non-Tropical Regions.  Even if you live in Canada you can have the taste of the Philippines in your heart and stomach as well. 

When planted in a Tropical region, this tree can grow up to 60 feet in height.  It is a slow-growing tree and with favorable conditions could reach 100 Feet with a spread of 40 feet...  A very impressive tree, the awe and beauty of this tree will stun you.  Its majestic trunk leading to slender branches that captivate you with its unique leaf pattern.  The flowers give an aroma of being on a tropical forest with natives fanning you with coconut leaves.  The trunk and timber is hard, dark read heartwood surrounded with softer, yellowish sapwood.  The leaves are 10-40 small leaflet architecture, it has a mass of bright-green, fine feather foliage Flowers are produced in [1]racemes, or a stalked flower. They are about 1 inch wide and are 5 petal led, yellow with orange or red streaks.  The flower buds are pink due to the outer color of the 4 sepals that shed when the flower opens the fruit tends to be a soft pulp inside with a brown pod-like legume[2], and contain many seeds.  They look somewhat flat or beanlike with irregular curves and bulging pods, borne in breed abundance along the new branches and can reach sizes of 7 inches with the average being around 4 inches.  The cinnamon-brown or grayish brown pods are tender-skinned with green, highly acid flesh and soft, whitish under developed seeds before full maturity.  As they mature the pods fill out somewhat and the juicy, acidulous pulp turns reddish-brown and the skin becomes brittle and easily-cracked.  Soon becoming a sticky paste enclosed by a few course strands of fiber from the stalk 

Many different names are used for this tree.  Some of these names include Indian Date, Asam in Malay, swee boey in Hokkien, Asam or Jawa in Indonesia.  India often calls this tree Imlee, tetul in Bangla, Siyambalo from Sinhala, Telugu Chintachettu (tree) or Chantapandu (fruit Extract).  In Thailand this is called Ma-kham and is the provincial tree of the Phetchabun Province.  And of course Sampalok in the Philippines.  This is where we import our seeds from, the mother trees have the sweetest fruit I have ever tasted.
 

Uses

The most common use for this tree is the fruit; however the medicinal value has not yet been commercialized.  Mostly it is used as a spice.  Asian and Latin cuisines use this heavily.  The young fruit is very sour and has an acidic taste for savory dishes.  The ripened fruit is sweeter and is used for drinks, deserts, snacks and candy.  At the end of this article we will give you a recipe for Sampalok Candy.

The wood is a stunning red color.  It has a good density that leads to durability.  The heartwood is used for furniture and flooring.  Often in Asian countries the switch is used for implementing corporal punishments.  So if your children read this, expect them to ask you not to buy a Sampalok Tree.  They don’t want to take a chance of learning the negative side of the tree.

Bonsai is an old art that now has a new meaning in our society.  These trees make wonderful bonsai plants.  Since they can be trimmed to any shape or size they are very popular as a fruit bearing bonsai

Medical Uses

In the Philippines, the leaves are used as an herbal tea that can reduce malaria fever.  Those with gastric and/or digestive problems will love this tree, since it is a good holistic treatment.  Healthy and tasty, the stomach is soothed with its juices.

The medical uses of Sampalok are uncountable.  The pulp of these trees are used to apply on inflammations, or to gargle for sore throat.  When mixed with salt, as a liniment for rheumatism.  It seems it is also good to alleviate sunstroke, alcoholic intoxication.

Sampalok leaves and flowers are dried or boiled to be used as poultices for swollen joints, sprains or boils.  Commercial companies use the extracts in lotions to treat conjunctivitis, as antiseptics, as vermifuges, treatments for dysentery, jaundice, erysipelas and hemorrhoids and various other ailments.

The leaves and roots contain the glycosides: vitexin, isovitexin, orientin and isoorientin. The bark yields the alkaloid, hordenine.

Climate

Even though these trees are tropical and the young trees should be protected from the cold, the older trees are surprisingly hardy. Though freeze damage will occur, the tree always seems to sprout out again from the roots.  Dry weather is also importing during a period for the fruit development. 

Soil

The tree tolerates a great range of soil types, from deep alluvial soil to rocky land and porous, limestone. It withstands salt spray and can be planted fairly close to the seashore.

Propagation

Sampalok seeds remain promising for propagation for months and will germinate in about 1 week after planting.  Most of the time, in the past, propagation has been primarily by seed sown in place with thorny branches guarding and protecting the young seeds  This tree can also be grown from cuttings, shield-budding, side-veneer grafting and air-layering.

Culture

Most of the time the Sampalok will bear fruit in the 4th year when grown from seed.  The tree continues to bear heavily for the next 50-60 years and sometimes even longer.  This tree can live well past the 200 year mark.

Harvesting

The pods, once mature could easily be left on the tree up to 6 months, but the moisture content will be reduced.  In some countries the harvesters simply shake the branches to cause the mature fruits to fall and leave the remainder to fall naturally when ripe.  Do not knock the fruits off with a pole as this can damage developing leaves and flowers. It is best to clip the stalk to not damage the shell.  A mature tree can produce 300-500 lbs of fruit each year.

Pests and Diseases

The Sampalok tree only has the normal pests associated in the United States, for its leaves and flowers, such as the caterpillar, aphids and whitefly to name a few.  Some fruit borers are also included in these pests.  Check with your local nursery for treatments as each region has different pests.

Superstitions

There are many superstitions related to this tree because of its age in other countries.  In the Philippines you don’t eat sour Sampalok during the even or you will be plagued with nightmares.

There is also a superstition that it is bad to sleep or to tie animals beneath a Sampalok tree, but this is probably due to the harmful affect the leaves have on fabrics in damp weather. 

In Africa some tribes believe this tree to be sacred.

Sampalok Candy

Ingredients

2 cup water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 cup Pealed Brown (Mature) Sampalok

Instructions

Heat 2 cups of water in a small saucepan to simmering, and add one and half
cups of sugar slowly dissolving it, then simmering to thicken it to a
smooth syrup. Add pinch of salt.   Set aside to cool.

Shell and clean the Sampalok, and then leave them to soak in the sugar
syrup for several hours before putting on a rack to dry. (Be careful some of the Sampalok has a hard ‘Stone’ in them…)

Sit back and enjoy your exotic Tropical Candy that you have grown yourself.

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